A New Year's Revelation
by Carissime
Summary: Severus runs into his ex-student at a staff New Year's party, and is intrigued by the changes he finds. One-shot for New Year, read and review!


**Author's Note**-Again, this is unbeta-ed, so I apologise for any mistakes, and would appreciate any corrections in a review. This is just my little New-Year's contribution, which I am actually rather excited about. Happy New Year folks!

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><p>Severus Snape sat in a dark corner of the staff room, glaring down into his glass for the fifth year in a row. Why Minerva insisted he came to these insipid New Year 'celebrations', he had no clue, as she knew full well that he hated them. All it resulted in was a distraught Sybil Trelawney after he spurned her drunken advances time after time. As it was, he just turned up, consumed vast amounts of Ogden's Finest and growled at anyone who approached him until enough time had elapsed that he could beat a hasty retreat; before Sybil cornered him under a sprig of enchanted mistletoe (a 'charming' spell of Dumbledore's made the damn plant impervious to all of his hexes). At least this year promised some modicum of entertainment; as Miss-Professor Granger, he supposed, now that the irritatingly cheery Vector had retired-would be initiated tonight into another of Minerva's little 'staff bonding' exercises. Ah, the utter joys of the staff party, it really made him wonder why he bothered to continue teaching after all this time. It had become habit, he supposed, and in all honesty he was too comfortable down in his rooms and with his almost completely solitary lifestyle to change it now.<p>

The heavy, oak door opened, revealing his ex-student in all her glory. Well, glory was really the wrong word. She was dressed in a manner rather uncharacteristic for her; he could only assume that she had been coerced by one of her friends into wearing such an outfit. The bodice of her dress revealed more skin than she was accustomed to, preferring to wear styles that covered the hint of cleavage that now peeked from the neckline of the dress. As for the skirt, well the fact that it wasn't her customary black trousers was odd enough, but as the deep emerald material swirled around her knees he couldn't help but be drawn to the remarkably toned length of her calves; climbing all those stairs to her classroom must be doing her the world of good. He refused to admit what the sight of her did to him, even though she had been out of his classroom for at least three years by now.

Although she had been teaching at Hogwarts since September, this was the first time he had run into her socially. Staying in his rooms almost all the time did have its advantages, after all. But it was more than that, he felt guilty for the demise of her relationship with the Weasley boy; despite how ill-suited they had been he supposed it had been unkind to shine such a public light on his affair with Miss Brown. At least she seemed over it now, judging by how well she seemed to be getting on with her colleagues. Minerva had thrust a large glass of wine into her hand, and was regaling a tale about her early days in teaching, if Miss Granger's laughter was anything to go by. It was a merry sound, and he couldn't seem to find it in himself to dislike it, despite how annoying he typically found it (particularly coming from first-years, the detestable things). Realising that he had spent at least the last ten minutes just staring at her, he resolutely focused his gaze on his half-empty glass rather than the young woman who had so captivated his attention.

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><p>Not even ten minutes later, his quiet contemplation was interrupted by the woman in question. "Miss Granger." He greeted cordially. "For what do I owe the pleasure?"<p>

"Professor, isn't it time to do away with formalities? After all, we will be working together for the foreseeable future." She gently teased, smiling.

He decided then to go along with her game. "Well, what would you prefer?"

"Hermione would do, if that's okay."

"Hermione." He repeated, the word tasting strange on his lips, but definitely pleasant. "In that case, I must insist you call me Severus."

"Severus it is." She nodded in agreement. "So, Severus, what brings you to the charmingly titled 'Hogwarts New Year Hoedown' today?"

He rolled his eyes. "Firewhiskey, Minerva's busybody ways, take your pick. And yourself? From what I recall, this sort of thing was not to your taste."

She chuckled. "You're right there, it's not. I would much rather be curled up in bed with a book than here. As you said, Minerva is a busybody, particularly around this time of 'togetherness'. I suppose she thought I would be lonely, my first year here."

He nodded. "Sounds about right, she never could leave well enough alone when it came to a person's private life."

"You're telling me, not ten minutes ago she questioned me incessantly on my relationship status after the debacle with Ronald."

His eyes widened imperceptibly, curious.

"But no, it seems that all dried up with him." She smiled sadly.

Hurrying to reassure her, he said, "Trust me when I say you don't need the likes of him to prove your worth to anyone."

"I've always trusted you Severus, even when you were a particular bastard in my fourth year." She teased, light dancing in her eyes.

"I-That's good to hear, Hermione." He replied somewhat awkwardly, before the conversation descended into a contemplative silence.

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><p>It was two minutes to midnight, and the unlikely pair had been talking for the better part of three hours in their small alcove. The other staff had focused on this strange happenstance; Professor Flitwick was even taking bets on the outcome of the night, much to Minerva's displeasure. Despite this, Hermione and Severus were completely ignorant to the rest of the party, finding themselves inexplicably drawn to the other and the admittedly excellent (if slightly drunken) conversation. As midnight loomed, the two were coerced into emerging by an extremely jovial Hagrid, who almost forced the pair to stand and join in with the countdown.<p>

"Ten!" Pomona's ridiculous hat fell over her eyes as she happily swung her arm around Rolanda Hooch's shoulder.

"Nine!" Unknown to them, a sprig of the famous mistletoe began to bloom from the ceiling above their heads.

"Eight!" A very tipsy Neville, the herbology apprentice, bumped into Severus, knocking him into Hermione. Having glared the young man into submission, he assured that the woman beside him was unhurt.

"Five!" Finally noticing the seasonal plant above their heads, Severus began to internally panic. Surely, she would be repulsed at the thought of kissing him.

"Three!" As the countdown neared its inevitable conclusion, his panic reached a crescendo as he looked for a way to escape.

"Two!" A gentle hand on his shoulder caused him to whip around, and stare down into the joyful face of the young woman he had come to care for.

"One!" The staff broke out in cheers and well-wishes, a fact that completely bypassed the pair.

"Happy New Year, Severus." Hermione pressed her lips to his so gently, he wasn't truly sure if it has happened. But no, those were her hands on his collar, her hair surrounding his face, her sweet scent invading his nostrils and corrupting his person. Severus' hands drifted unconsciously to her hips, pressing her against him as he began to kiss her properly, his lips gently moving against hers. She responded in kind, her little tongue tentatively stroking the seam of his lips, requesting entry into his mouth. It was as if this small act had unleashed him. He pressed himself firmly against her, uncaring of their undoubtedly shocked audience, and plundered her mouth with his. She tasted of the sweet wine she'd been drinking, and an underlying flavour that was uniquely hers. He craved it. Hungrily, he kissed her hard, wanting nothing more than her taste on his tongue and the feeling of her full lips against his own, and the continued vibration of her soft moans that sent bolts of desire straight to his cock.

"Severus!" Aurora Sinstra finally broke in, scandalised at the display being put on in public. "Do unhand the girl; I really don't need to see this."

Hermione and Severus jumped apart, the former blushing a rather deep red while the former appeared completely unconcerned, even raising an eyebrow at the collection of his co-workers of many years. Thankfully, his usual voluminous black robes hid the extent of the erection he was sporting.

"I-uh, I mean, that is-" Hermione began, stumbling over her words.

"Please excuse our behaviour Aurora; I assure you it won't happen again." He placated her smoothly, before turning and striding out of the door in a swirl of black robes.

Hermione's eyes darted between her mentor and the man she wanted above all others. Minerva just nodded towards the door, smiling gently at the woman who had been her favourite student as a child. Taking this as permission, Hermione turned and fled after Severus, her halo of wild brown curls almost being caught in the door as she closed it hurriedly behind her.

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><p>By the time she caught up to him, he had almost reached his quarters, although that wasn't really saying much as they were about four corridors from the staff room. Hearing her footsteps, he stopped, waiting for her to speak.<p>

"Severus, please." Her voice was devoid of all hope, strange for such an optimistic creature.

"Miss Granger, what do you wish to say to me? We both know that what happened in there cannot be repeated. For Merlin's sake, you are nearly twenty years my junior, and you were my student!" He was becoming more agitated, disappointed once again at having something he wanted more than anything in the world dangled in front of him, only to be taken away by circumstance.

"Do you really think I'm shallow enough to care about those things, Severus? It is almost a decade since I was in your classroom, and age means nothing to me. You are my intellectual equal, and a beautiful, talented man to boot. I have come to not only admire you as a teacher and an Order member, but to want you for the man you are. Scars and all. Please, just don't push me away. I don't think I could bear it." Tears glimmered in her big, amber eyes, as yet unshed as she bit into her bottom lip.

Finally hearing the words he had been so desperate for, he crushed her mouth to hers in a searing kiss. "Gods, woman. I can't promise to be the perfect partner, or even close to it, but I will do my best. Always." Her face broke into a breath-taking smile, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head up for another kiss.

Almost in a haze of lust, Severus pressed her against the wall and leant down to sample the creamy skin of her throat. Encouraged by her small whimpers, he suckled her pulse point hard, intending to leave his mark on her. Hermione moaned quietly, tilting her head to give him better access as she threaded her slim fingers through the soft hair at the nape of his neck. His hands, which had remained almost modestly on her waist, crept up to her breasts, cupping the soft mounds in his large hands and teasing the pebbled nipples with his thumbs. Bucking against him, she pleaded for more, more of his hands, his mouth, just more of him on her body.

"Hermione," He panted, breaking away for a moment. "Do you really want this?"

She nodded fiercely. "More than anything. I need you Severus…"

He smirked, taking her hand and leading her to his chambers. Once inside, he led her hurriedly to his bedroom, a place where no other had ever been. The whole space was rather bare, only the essentials needed, but those were of the highest quality. A large, four-poster bed lay in the centre of the room, three of the walls covered by bookshelves crammed with tomes, and an ornate writing desk in one corner complete with a comfortable leather chair. Not letting himself think, knowing he'd balk at the thought of losing this privacy, he sat her on his black silk bedcovers and pressed his lips to hers. She responded passionately, her little hands pulling him against her and plying the outer robes from his shoulders. Refusing to be outdone, he reached behind her and slowly unzipped her dress as she bit her lower lip in anticipation. Shucking the silken material, she was spread before him in just her delicate lace underwear. Swallowing a growl at the sight, he quickly shed his own clothing with her help, until he was completely bared before her. Her smile was utterly sinful as she reached for him, her small hands stroking down his chest and brushing his nipples as he tilted his head back in pleasure. She moved her hands southward as she gripped his length, drawing a long moan from him as she began to slide her fist up and down his cock.

He let out a gasp each time her small hand circled the sensitive head of his shaft, jerking his hips towards her. Shuddering, he pushed her hands away. Seeing her quizzical look, he explained "I don't want to come just yet, my sweet…" He smirked, bringing his hands up her chest to caress her breasts. His talented fingers toyed with her little nipples, making her whimper loudly and arch her back off the bed.

"Merlin, sweetness, you are sensitive." He murmured, "I wonder if I could make you come just by playing with those lovely breasts…" Focusing his attention on this endeavour, he rubbed, pinched, licked and sucked at her pale breasts through her thin bra until she was arching into his mouth, moaning loudly at the exquisite torture he was inflicting upon her.

"Impatient, little witch?" He asked, chuckling softly at her nod. Reaching behind her, unclasping the delicate ice blue lace and flicking it away behind him. "These too?" He asked teasingly, gesturing to the tiny scrap of lace covering her most intimate secret.

"Yes, you bloody teasing man!" She exclaimed. "Just touch me!"

"As you wish…" He smirked, kneeling down until his chin rested on her abdomen.

"Severus, what are you-" She gasped, as he nestled her head between her thighs having ripped off her knickers.

"Hush now and I'll show you." He drawled, shocking her into silence that the normally dour man could be so demonstrative.

Holding her hips down on the bed, he took a single, long lick from her entrance to her hooded clit, savouring her unique flavour on his tongue as Hermione fisted the sheets and cried out at the contact. Her cries spurred him on, as he licked over her velvet folds, dipping his tongue into her opening. At her loudest moan yet, he suckled on her delicate bundle of nerves, gently sliding a long finger inside her and crooking it to rub against her sweet spot. When he added another and combined it with a hard suck on her clit, she let out a long, loud cry, her walls fluttering around his fingers and clamping down hard with her orgasm. Relaxing back onto the bed, she released her grip on the sheet as Severus began kissing his way back up her body. She drew him in for a languid kiss, tasting herself on his tongue and finding it not unpleasant. "Please, Severus." She sighed, "I need you now."

Smirking arrogantly, he drawled "Well who would I be if I denied you something you needed?" Wrapping her thighs around his narrow hips, he positioned himself at her entrance and slid home in one slow, sure thrust. She was unbelievably tight, so he gripped her hips and allowed her to adjust to his size. Taking the rolling of her hips as a hint to continue, he began to slowly thrust into her slick warmth. He could feel every inch of her, revelling in the feeling of her clutching walls. She whimpered in pleasure, pulling his head down to kiss him hungrily. As her small tongue explored his mouth, his thrusts sped up until it was too difficult to keep their mouths connected. Their moans chorused around the room, each rapidly approaching climax as their cries became louder still. His thumb rubbed at her clit, pushing her over the edge into bliss as she screamed. Unable to take the rapid pulsing over her walls, he came into her with a deep groan.

As they came down from their high, he rolled over and took her into his arms, curling himself around her slim form as he pressed tender kisses to the back of her head. Smiling, she softly admitted "This promises to be a very good year."

Smiling into the back of her head, he wrapped an arm around her waist. "That it does, little witch." They fell into a comfortable sleep, together.

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><p><strong>AN**-this was my first time writing proper dialogue and smut, so please be gentle with me in the reviews, although all criticism is taken on board and used to improve my writing. Read and review!


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